Both Languages in the household....can This Confuse My 19 Month Old?

Yes, it can delay speech initially, but the benefits outweigh the cons, and there is no long-term speech delay. My son is learning two languages as well - it is a wonderful gift to give a child!

Keep on speaking to her in Spanish. She will speak both languages. I wish my Mom had spoken to me in Spanish but she didn't.

She will grasp both languages.

Updated

Keep on speaking to her in Spanish. She will speak both languages. I wish my Mom had spoken to me in Spanish but she didn't.

She will grasp both languages.

NO!

There is significant research about children who learn 2 languages from birth, they are actually using "more" of their brain & their brain development often exceeds children who learn only one language. This is a very hot topic in education right now & many school districts are switching to dual language programs. Google it, you will learn a lot!!

Keep doing what you are doing, her babbling... IS her speech. All kids do it. You are not delaying her in any way.

Usually, in a dual language household, one parent speaks in one language, & the other speaks in the other language. If there are 2 of you in the household, it is always best for children to learn speech from people (not necessarily TV)... so you could even have your family members help.

You are helping your child!!

Initially it will cause a delay, however they will catch up and the bonus is they will know multiple languages. We were told to have only one parent teach another language as different pronunciations can cause confusion so in our house my SO teaches the Spanish and I do speak a little - but just the basics. My LO is 2 1/2 and she's able to speak English, a little Spanish (learning more each day) and sign =)

Hi G.. Having 2 languages will actually help her brain development. She will know innately that things can have more than 2 names! How wonderful. Don't worry at all. She will also have 2 languages and the capacity for more, as Spanish is a Romance language. What a lucky little girl.

HTH Jilly

It can actually be a good thing in the long run for two languages to be developed early on because it highly develops the language part of the brain. It can appear that the 1st language will be slow to develop while your daughter is learning English words but just keep at it. If you have any concerns, such as not putting 2 words together by the age of 2 then I would seek out a Speech & Language Pathologist. You can also visit www.asha.org, the national organization for SLPs. Good luck and hang in there! Read a lot to your daughter!!!! :)

No, it won't damage her and yes, it will affect her speech possibly to begin with.

We have a bi lingual household and know many others. Each child develops their speech differently, whether mono-lingual or multi-lingual.

So what if her speech is delayed? This is not a race nor competition, there are no prizes at the end. The prize you are giving your daughter is the ability to speak two languages.

Keep up your family life as you are and please don't worry, your daughter will be just fine.

The quick answer is...maybe, it may cause a mild speech delay in the short run, but she will be way more advantaged in the long run! Many studies show that children who are bilingual do better in school because they have a greater command of language in general. Also, assuming your family is also bicultural, it is SO important that your child knows that language of your family, so she will be able to communicate with her relatives in the future and have strong family bonds.

My son was exposed to many languages - Akan, Spanish, Creole, and English, if you can believe it. And he did have a mild delay - I had him evaluated by early intervention and it was not enough to warrant services for speech therapy. They assured me that this exposure to multiple languages would not harm him, and they reminded me to make sure that i read to him daily (regardless of language). Now he is 3 and his language is excellent. He speaks English and a little Spanish, and he seems to understand some Akan and Creole and will occasionally say a word or two.

I've known two bilingual households, and in both cases the children took longer to start speaking. That doesn't mean they were confused, because when they did start, they were able to speak both languages fluently, in full sentences. Both kids were over 2 years when this happened.

I understand this kind of a lag is common, but it is not harmful. The kids usually understand both languages far earlier than they are able to speak them. (This is usually true of adults learning new languages, too; they can understand far more than they can speak.)

I wouldn't worry about your child getting confused. This is the perfect time for her to absorb language.

I suggest your daughter has the best situation. This is the age to learn speech and she's been given the opportunity to learn two languages. I've read that this situation may slow down learning speech, but she will eventually be ahead because she'll know 2 languages. She may also mix up the two languages using both in one sentence or one thought. That's OK. Eventually she'll be able to sort it out.

Even if she were learning just one language, she would be babbling at this age and you wouldn't understand her.

I suggest that you find a way to relax and let her speech happen.

I have friends who have a culture mix at home (in one case, the wife is American (speaking English) and the husband is German (fluent in English); the other is American wife, Swedish husband).

Both took this tack: The parent speaks to the child in the parent's native tongue.

Studies have shown that for children in this kind of scenario, they may be slightly delayed in speaking now, but will be bilingual (sp) when they do speak, and it is actually a huge advantage to continued language learning throughout life.

So, long term, it's actually to her great benefit to be continually exposed to and encouraged to use both languages. In fact, I'd go so far as to get some Spanish language age-appropriate books to read to her, as well as some English. And I think it helps the child to have 1 caregiver that does English only, and the other does Spanish only (so the child knows how to respond, when the child does eventually pick up more words in both languages).

We speak both languages at home. The TV is usually in English, though sometimes my husband is watching Spanish (if only Disney was in Spanish). My older kids don't know much Spanish because we did not push it. I think that was a mistake. My 30 month old can speak both and does sometimes speak more of a Spanglish. But as she gets older and learns more, she will be able to split it up and speak correctly in onoe or other language. One thing you do want to watch is to speak a sentence in one language, not half English and half Spanish.

She may take a bit longer but doing 2 languages is a good thing. At 19 months their is alot of talking that you wont understand even if their was only one language spoken. Give her time, she is doing fine.

Continue to speak to her in Spanish as much as possible. These kids absorb so much during the younger years. There is nothing better than exposing them. I'll grant you that at times they will be processing their vocabulary and mixing the words since they cannot compartmentalize the different languages (if used often enough both become one language). My son is 3 and we speak English, Spanish and Chinese.....he is doing well with all three......little less with Chinese since that is dad's department and he spends less time with him. I find Spanish programs for him to watch and books as well. It may take a little longer to speak clearly at the beginning but the rewards will be bountiful in the near future. My thought was to speak as much Spanish to him and he would learn English with his peers and at school.

This is awesome- babies' minds are totally open. It is much harder to learn a second language once the first has been 'hardwired' into the brain. Keep talking and reading to your little one in BOTH languages all the time! If she has grandparents who speak both languages- encourage them to talk to her in both as well!
I have friends whose kids speak english- but also polish, Czech, spanish and japanese! They are all way ahead of kids trying to learn a 2nd language in grade school or high school.

If it is a little confusing at first, her brain will sort it out. I'm so jealous, lol, I wish *I* knew a 2nd language when I was little and could have taught it to my son :)

Hey! My son was raised on Sesame Street. That's how he learned his basic english. Of course, when he started pre-school, he went to a bi-lingual school, but we mostly spoke spanish at home. Don't worry about it. She'll use one, or both indistintly.

I am SO pleased that you are teaching her spanish! If she were exposed to 10 different languages at the age she learns to speak, she would learn and eventually be fluent in all ten! Being bilingual is a great asset and tool for her future! She will likely naturally learn to sort out and separate the two different languages.

We speak 3 languages here in our home. However, we make certain that our children learn the english words first and the alternate in spanish and/or swedish. Our 23 month old is speaking english fine and attempts the others when she feels like it. We read to her books in english, spanish, and swedish. We also have a 16 year old she speaks in english and spanish...not so much the swedish. I figure the children tend to grasp what they heard in the womb and from me they heard english and spanish; the swedish they both attempt but not so great. No worries, your child will be fine.

I highly doubt it will delay her speech...haven't you noticed that on shows like Handy Manny, Dora, and DIego that they speak in both languages, repeating what a word for something is in english & spanish right after the other? As for the 'babbling'--ALL children say things we adults can't understand :)

First, being raised in a bilingual environment is excellent for young infants/kids' brain development. There is much research to back this up. As far as confusion, your daughter is learning words in both languages and her vocabulary will be split between the 2 languages. Children in bilingual homes do show a slight delay in speaking (expressive language) initially, but do understand more words (receptive language) and catch up in speech fairly soon. Try speaking primarily Spanish to her at home as much as possible because she will inevitably pick up English (from tv, school, etc...).

I have no idea what other people wrote but the obvious to me would be: DON'T LET HER WATCH TV!!! It ruins kids visual perception and binocular vision. They are fixating their eyes so there is no movemet as if they were playing with 3D objects.
Talk to her in Spanish only and when she gets that language down, start to introduce English. If kids don;t have one language as a base, they are confused with processing when they get to school and have to read and write and spell. Two languages that your daughter is not picking up very well is not good. Stay with one and you won't go wrong. Children can and do pick up English later and can then at that point transfer things in a classroom.